One then makes an empirical calibration of running speed with temperature using some human runners, and goes on to construct a global temperature proxy by timing groups of wild-type human runners without knowing their nutritional status, their health profile, their homeothermic capacity or ability to sweat, their susceptibility to heat stroke, or the twitch rate of their muscles.

As much as the presence of fur-shedding, homeothermic mammals unnerved him, he almost wished the Sst’rfleeters that Captain Krassrr had chased away had chosen to challenge Krassrr’s highly questionable plans.